Wireless paging networks are known. Such networks typically transmit short paging messages (either audible or display) over wide geographic areas. Paging receivers (pagers) within such systems are typically constructed to monitor a paging channel for identification codes. Upon receipt of a code the pager compares the received code with an internal code. When the internal code matches the transmitted code the pager reproduces the paging message associated with such code on an output device for the benefit of a subscriber.
While such systems may be effective in the market for low-cost, rapid communication, they suffer from disadvantages associated with the one-way nature of such transmissions. Where a particular pager is deactivated, or out of range, paging messages directed to that paging receiver may be lost.
Other paging systems have been constructed with pagers that acknowledge paging notification messages. Such pagers are equipped with transmitters used to transmit a page acknowledge message upon detection of a page directed to the responding pager.
Where the system transmits a paging notification and the paging receiver doesn't respond (unit deactivated or out of range) the system periodically retransmits the page. Upon receipt of a paging acknowledgment by the system from the receiver, the system may immediately transmit the paging message as well as any other paging messages that have accumulated in a message queue maintained for the pager.
While deferral of message transmission until a page has been acknowledged reduces the incidence of lost messages, other problems may be experienced within such a system. Where a number of messages have accumulated in the system message queue and a page acknowledgment is received by a base site, the base site may immediately transmit all the messages in the queue. The immediate transmission of queued messages may overwhelm the storage capacity of the pager. Also, where a page acknowledge has not been received for an extended period the message queue may become filled, requiring that some messages be overwritten resulting in lost information. Because of the importance of paging systems a need exists for a method of delivering paging messages that avoids lost information.